Aetiology, diagnosis and control of mastitis in dairy herds

Description

Mastitis is one of the most economically important diseases in dairy production. Associated costs include treatment, culling, death and decreased milk production, and cow welfare is also compromised. This chapter reviews the indicators of mastitis and the contagious and environmental pathogens which cause it. It then discusses how mastitis can be managed and controlled on dairy farms, including consideration of dry cow therapy and the use of antibiotics.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Indicators of mastitis: somatic cell count 3 Indicators of mastitis: non-cell inflammation markers 4 Contagious pathogens causing mastitis 5 Environmental pathogens: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and environmental streptococci 6 Other pathogens: Prototheca, coagulase-negative staphylococci and other microorganisms 7 Management and control of mastitis 8 Dry cow therapy 9 The use of antibiotics 10 Where to look for further information 11 References